Mirrors in a Case

V

virtualheretic

Limp Gawd
Joined
Sep 6, 2005
Messages
237
I have been pondering putting mirrors inside of my case for quite a while now, and I am surprised on the lack of other people doing something like this. I have searched far and wide for mods like this, but to no avail.

Anybody else ever find any mirror mods on the internet?
I think having a mirror on the bottom of the case (you have to have a huge window for it to look right) and maybe on the top or sides. I think the effect of peering inside the case and seeing the reflections would be cool, if nothing else I figure the mirrors will bounce the light from my cold cathodes around to brighten it up....

Anybody have any opinions?
If you have any experience with cutting mirrors your input would be greatly appreciated as well!
For now I have purchased a 4 pack of 12x12 (should use two for the mod, and 2 for practice) mirror tiles and a glass cutter.
 
I've always thought about this too, thinking it would be cool, but never have actually done this. Maybe sometime later this summer I will.....
 
Never cut glass mirrors, but I have cut acrylic mirror material and it's really easy to work with, and it comes in different colors as well.

If your interested, you can pick it up at Home Depot....

 
I wouldnt wanna put glass in my case...breakable and heavy...a good bump on the way to a lan party, a dropped hard drive, etc could all mean a big finger-slicing mess...
check out U.S. Plastics mirror acrylics or the stuff from Home Depot. I use it for custom grip panels for paintball guns, very cool stuff. Easy to cut and looks liek glass mirror, only it's almost weightless and near unbreakable.
 
I have been planing to do this as well, have not ordered yet but found some Acrylic Plexiglass mirrors on ebay. Just another place for you to look for what you want
 
awesome, I never heard of acrylic mirrors, and I never thought about the possibility of the mirror shattering inside my case (eeeeeeeeeeep!), not to mention the added weight....

Time to checkout my local home depot tonight, and then return the mirror tiles I bought to the other hardware store.

Thanks for the info! The acrylic is more durable, weighs less, and easier to work with (regular power tools and such, not specialized glass cutting tools).

Now hopefully I can find some time to do some work before I fly out to Houston for some job training.... :rolleyes:

I will post some pics of the work I do. If you have anymore ideas or helpful hints please share!
 
meh . . .I do this all the time . . .I have tons of red, blue, and see thru acrylic mirror here.
 
Not a bad idea.

You guys should start a picture thread if you go through with it.
 
I plan on taking a bunch of pictures when I figure out what type of mirror material I am going to use and how to go about doing it.

I am planning on ordering a sheet or two of some acrylic mirrors and following through with that.
I do like the idea of the chrome vinyl but a lot of people say that it scratches very easy and Im worried about the adhesive peeling off with wear over the years...

The only problem I can think of with using the acrylic mirrors is how to properly secure it to the case. For the bottom of the case I am just going to drill through the acrylic and fastn it with screws, but if I put some on the side pannel or the top of the case that could be a problem since I dont want screws sticking through the side and top....

Anybody know of a good glue or adhesive that can be used to mount acrylic to aluminum?

Another problem with the adhesive is that I am powder coating the whole case inside and out, and that might be a problem with the side pannel (already powder coated) and top (not powder coated yet).

Thanks for the ideas and constructive criticism guys, keep it comming!
 
I was about to do this before but didnt, but now rethinking it. Was going to do a mirror floor in my MM case, got a price at local glass shop and wanted roughly 20 bucks for the dimensions i wanted, so most likely will do it, when? whenever i got the time lol... but ya.
 
I attach mirrors to side panels using 3m double-sided tape which you can find all over the place. They have it in white and clear.

For cutting, I use a scroll saw if the edges will not be visible. For edges that will be visible for more precise cuts I ask my buddies at Danger Den to fire up the laser. Every custom job they do really adds uber pimpage to my projects.
 
I was thinking about doing this to a case. The theme was kind of a "night sky" theme.. paint the inside black.. attack mirrors.. and in the inside have little glow in teh dark dots resembling stars with UV cathodes.. and paint the outside dark purple.

Never really went through with it. Was just tossin the idea around.
 
One more material to consider is reflective mylar. Super light, cut with scissors, razor blade, etc. Haven't been able to find a roll smaller than 1 mil x 54 inches x10 feet, but those were only ten bux. Might be able to find smaller sizes...
 
Ok, I am no longer skeptical about the adhesive tape anymore.
Thanks for the vid!
I have ordered the acrylic, and tomorrow I will goto Home Depot and buy some tape. :cool:
 
I actually thought of this idea and it might look cool with lasers bouncing off the sides but custom sized fitted mirrors are really expensive.
 
Bought some of the 3M Scotch #4010 double sided tape, and the plexi is ordered.

Now I have to wait 2 weeks when I get back from my business trip :rolleyes:

Check back then for updates! (I can't wait!!!!!!!)
 
Im back from my trip and I'm almost done painting my case.

Next step is to create a template of where I want the mirrors and cut them to size.

Another small conundrum is whether I should use the red acrylic mirror i bought or use the regular acrylic mirror I bought....
decisions decisions.....
 
i wish i had some pics of my old case mod, but I had put a mirror in the top of the case. I measured it, and went to the local glass shop. only cost like $4. I sanded the inside of the case a little with some 400 grit sand paper and used some 2-ton epoxy to hold it in place... I know how strong that 3M tape is, but rest assured, that mirror is never coming off.

I had 2 CCFLs in the case before, and with the addition of the mirror up top, it reflected the lights much more, and cast a nice glow to my graphics card, and HSF.

Easy cheep mod. I used 1/4" mirror, and even the small piece I had, added a lot of weight to the case. I will probably use mirror in another mod that I am currently working on.
 
I was thinking about just polishing the bottom of my case to a mirror-like shine. Can you do that with aluminum? I thought I'd seen it done in a Lian Li case before. I have a PC-7B, btw.
 
LesterOfPuppets2 said:
One more material to consider is reflective mylar. Super light, cut with scissors, razor blade, etc. Haven't been able to find a roll smaller than 1 mil x 54 inches x10 feet, but those were only ten bux. Might be able to find smaller sizes...
Click to expand...

mylar is an insulator ;) i'm sure with good airflow it wouldn't make a big difference, but it's something to keep in mind.

scrawnypaleguy said:
I was thinking about just polishing the bottom of my case to a mirror-like shine. Can you do that with aluminum? I thought I'd seen it done in a Lian Li case before. I have a PC-7B, btw.
Click to expand...

yes. if you're willing to put in the requisite time, an easy DIY way to polish softer metals like aluminum is with baker's chocolate. the cocoa will act as a very mild abrasive. i saw it on Myth Busters :D just be sure to thoroughly wash the metal when you're done.
 
dystopic said:
yes. if you're willing to put in the requisite time, an easy DIY way to polish softer metals like aluminum is with baker's chocolate. the cocoa will act as a very mild abrasive. i saw it on Myth Busters :D just be sure to thoroughly wash the metal when you're done.
Click to expand...

That is awesome :D.
 
So.... No pics yet? Been thinking of grabbing some acrylic from ebay

Just been waiting to see how awesome it looks. I even saw some blue mirror acrylic somewhere that looked great as well (Yes, red was available :D )
 
I have seen a mirror in the bottom of a case before and it looked really cool. It was also great for the lighting, it gave it a more balanced glow instead of being really bright at once point and fading to a dimmer light.

I say go for it.
 
anyone have links to pics?? ive looked and cant find any. this sounds interesting but im curious as to the final look.
 
No mirrors needed. Just a quality aluminum case and elbow grease.:D


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Wow, quite a few people posted when I wasnt looking.
Sorry guys I have been a little busy....
Im trying to finish painting up the case, but the spray paint I was using crapped out (BOTH cans).

In the meaintime I have cut out a template for the acrylic to fit on the bottom of the case, and I will make one for the top of the case if I decide to go along with that, and ideas??

Also I am still debating on whether or not to use the red acrylic or regular acrylic.
Wait a tick, red on the bottom regular on the top (not going to see the top anywyas, right?). Solved that question.

I will take a bunch of pics and post them when I get home from work.
Since 2 of the panels are "naked" and not painted Ill post some before and after pics too :)

The case I have is kind of like this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ShowI...+Steel+/Aluminum+ATX+Full+Tower+Computer+Case

Its a Raidmax case, but an older model than the link above (nobody sells the old one anymore).
 
AS PROMISED (finally)​

Sorry it has taken so long to post pix, but I have had all kinda of roadblocks and hassle so far....
Love it, hate it? Constructive criticism leave me some tips or pointers. Thanks guys!
:cool:


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I can cut this perfectly to fit on 1 of the tiles, just BARELY, but it will work. The piece cut here will fit in the bottom of the case in the front.
--edit--​
I changed the layout for this template, the "long" end will be a whole piece, and I will cut the lefovers from the tile for the "fat" end. The picture shows the template cutting the "fat" end attached to the "long" end. Not only does the picture involve more cutting, but it would make it look worse, and more fragile.


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This is a picture of both of the templates I cut, each piece of paper will fit perfectly on a tile of the red acrylic I bought off ebay.
You can kind of also see in this picture that I still need to sand and paint the "frame" of the case. Im actually having mixed feelings if I should paint this, it might look kind of neat.....

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This is the piece that will sit in the bottom of the case in the back. Not much cutting.


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This is a picture of the top of the case with the new powdercoat already on.


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Side panel on the mobo tray side, after being painted.


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This is the case window side (obviously) after being painted.


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Finally a picture of the red acrylic (protective film is still on). Just wanted to get a sneak peak of what the finished product will look like!


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This is a picture of the different acrylic sheets that I bought.
THe red will go on the bottom, the clear will go on the top to help reflect the light, maybe on the side panel too? Might put some in my monster cube case as well...


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Yes, I even painted the back panel for uniformity, but the powdercoat doesnt want to stick to it very much in places. They must have put some kind of coat on it that I cant get completely off. I might jsut strip it back down, but that might look odd...


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This is the inside of the mobo side outside panel. The F*cking paint I bought shot shits (2 cans!) and I had to call it quits without finishing the inside of 2 panels. So close yet so far away.....


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This is a picture of both of the templates sitting inside the bottom of the case. I cant wait to get them in there!
 
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